The lightweight desktop environment LXQt announced part of the plans for its upcoming version 2.2, scheduled for mid-April 2025. This update brings significant improvements to Wayland support, new features in QTerminal, and optimizations to the PCManFM-Qt file manager. These changes are intended to provide a more stable and fluid experience for users who rely on LXQt as their desktop environment of choice.
Among the most notable new features is the Improved Wayland support, which is still in an experimental phase, now allows you to configure the default composer and screen locker at the system or distribution level. In addition, input settings and system manuals have been partially enabled, along with updated configuration files. For more information on these features, you can check out our article on Previous version of LXQt that improves on Wayland.
Wayland Session Improvements in LXQt 2.2
The Wayland session has been optimized with new configuration options. Users can now select the default compositor and manage the screen lock with greater flexibility. Improvements have also been made LXQt Runner configuration settings, allowing you to modify its width, define its position in multi-monitor configurations, and make adjustments to the screen display. This evolution is part of LXQt's ongoing commitment to improving Wayland support.
Another significant change is the Possibility to configure LXQt panel per monitor when using Wayland. Also, the settings for kwin_wayland have been improved, allowing for more accurate behavior when one or more monitors have scaling active. For those interested in the development of the transition to Wayland, there are more details in our article titled on the transition from LXQt to Wayland.
New features and improvements in QTerminal
The QTerminal terminal emulator has received a number of improvements that increase its usability and customization. These include a new option to activate subterminals on mouse hover, the ability to automatically hide the mouse cursor after a period of inactivity, and the addition of a blinking cursor.
Also The preferences menu has been reorganized to make navigation easier, text rendering issues have been fixed, and the popup window that appears when trying to close the terminal with processes running has been optimized. These improvements aim to make QTerminal a more efficient and versatile tool for users who rely on the command line.
In addition to changes to Wayland and QTerminal, LXQt 2.2 introduces Tweaks to application transparency and font management within X11These improvements aim for greater visual coherence and a smoother experience for users.
For its part, the file manager PCManFM-Qt has received relevant updates, such as the possibility of clearing the filter bar using the backspace key. and the inclusion of custom arguments when opening a directory in the terminal. The display of text in tabs with long names has also been improved, making it easier to navigate between multiple folders.
Other improvements and fixes
In addition to the changes mentioned, LXQt 2.2 brings Various improvements to system stability and performance. Bugs affecting the overall reliability of the environment have been fixed and details in the user interface have been optimized to offer a more polished experience. Stability improvements are crucial to maintaining the quality of the environment, especially with the increasing adoption of Wayland.
Improvements to the screenshot utility are also included. Screen Grab, which now includes a new setting to manage notifications generated after taking a screenshot.
If everything goes according to plan, The final version of LXQt 2.2 will be available in mid-April 2025Until then, developers continue to work on final tweaks and optimizations to ensure a smooth environment. stable y functionalIf you are interested in learning about previous changes, do not hesitate to consult our article on LXQt 1.4 and its improvements.
